HVDC transmission systems using voltage sourced converters design and applications

Rapid development in the field of power electronic devices with turn off capability like insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) and gate turn-off thyristors (GTO), makes the voltage sourced converters (VSC) more and more attractive for high voltage direct current transmission (HVDC). This new innovative technology provides substantial technical and economical advantages for different applications compared to conventional HVDC transmission systems based on thyristor technology. This paper focuses on VSC application for HVDC systems of high power ratings (up to 200 MW), which are currently in discussion for several projects. After a brief description of the main circuit components an overview on basic design aspects of VSC based HVDC systems is given.